Tom Brady‘s replacement has seemingly arrived on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, and he didn’t have to travel far. After spending parts of one season with the Carolina Panthers before being released and then landing with the Los Angeles Rams, Baker Mayfield is re-joining the NFC South. Though this time, it’s with the Bucs instead.
According to NFL Network’s Albert Breer, Mayfield is signing a one-year, $4 million contract in Tampa. The total value could reach as high as $8.5 million if certain conditions are met.
For the Buccaneers, who are seeking a new starting quarterback after Brady retired, they get a steal. Sure, Mayfield is far from proven, but the Buccaneers needed to gamble on a low-risk, potentially high-reward at the QB position.
- Baker Mayfield stats last season: 60% completion rate, 2,163 passing yards, 10 TD, 8 INT
They do still have 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask on the QB depth chart too, but the former Florida star has thrown just nine passes in the NFL. Other reports have also indicated the 25-year-old just hasn’t been able to get up to speed with Tampa Bay’s playbook thus far.
It’s Mayfield’s third team in just nine months. Yet he showed last season how quickly he could pick up a playbook and find immediate success after joining the Rams and winning a game just two days after landing on the roster back in December.
Now he’ll be tasked with learning another playbook, though he’ll have several months to do so instead of just a few days. In addition to having some mental homework, Mayfield may also want to schedule some workouts with the Buccaneers’ top targets, such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Mayfield is expected to compete with Trask for the QB1 gig next season and will be working with offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who joined the team from the Seahawks.
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